Beacon Hill Roll Call
Volume 51 – Report No. 27
June 29 – July 3, 2026
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THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call reports local representatives’ and senators’ votes on roll calls from the week of June 29-July 3.
During the week of June 29-July 3, the House met for a total of 11 hours and 34 minutes and the Senate met for a total of 14 hours 55 minutes.
$63.4 BILLION FISCAL 2027 STATE BUDGET (H 5555)- House 142-6, Senate 39-1, approved and sent to Gov. Maura Healey a $63.4 billion fiscal 2027 conference committee version of a state budget for the fiscal year that began July 1, 2026. The House and Senate had approved different versions of the budget and a conference committee hammered out this compromise version. The price tag is 4 percent higher than last year’s package.
(A “Yes” vote is for the budget. A “No” vote is against it.)
Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian – Didn’t Vote
Rep. Donald Wong – Yes
Sen. Jason Lewis – Yes
TOXIC MEDICAL DEVICES (H 5550)- House 139-0, approved a bill that would ban the use of DEHP, a toxic chemical which is commonly added to plastic intravenous bags and tubing and linked to breast, liver, lung and testicular cancer. Many IV bags currently contain DEHP, which is added to improve the plastic’s flexibility but can pose serious health dangers to patients. The measure also prevents manufacturers from replacing DEHP with similar ortho-phthalates and encourages the transition to safer alternatives while preserving limited exemptions for specialized blood collection and cell therapy products.
The Senate has approved its own version of the measure, and the House version now goes to the Senate for consideration.
(A “Yes” vote us for the bill.)
Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian – Didn’t Vote
Rep. Donald Wong – Yes
REQUIRE MORE PUBLIC DISCLOSURES OF FUNDRAISING AND SPENDING BY BALLOT QUESTION GROUPS (H 5549)- House 149-0, approved a bill requiring more frequent public reporting of fundraising and spending by groups supporting or opposing ballot questions. Under the bill, ballot question committees would be required to provide monthly reports on their finances. After September of that year, campaigns would have to file biweekly reports until Election Day. The bill would hold ballot question campaigns to the same standard of disclosure already followed by candidates for office. Currently, ballot committees don’t have to report on their finances between Jan. 20 and September.
The Senate has approved its own version of the measure, and the House version now goes to the Senate for consideration.
(A Yes” vote is for the bill.)
Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian – Didn’t Vote
Rep. Donald Wong – Yes
ILLUMINATING PUBLIC SPACES (S 3145)- Senate 39-0, approved and sent to the House a bill that supporters say would improve how public spaces are illuminated and would help protect public health and safety; reduce energy consumption; safeguard wildlife and ecosystems; and lower long-term costs for municipalities.
(A “Yes” vote is for the bill.)
Sen. Jason Lewis – Yes
ENERGY COSTS (S 3143)- Senate 32-8, approved legislation that supporters said would save people money; repair the climate; grow the economy; tackle rising energy costs head-on by cutting unnecessary fees; even out price spikes that hit households during high-demand months; crack down on predatory sales practices by energy suppliers and steer the state away from expensive infrastructure projects that don’t deliver value for ratepayers.
(A “Yes” vote is for the bill. A “No” vote is against it.)
Sen. Jason Lewis – Yes
BIOMASS (S 3143)- Senate 35-4, approved an amendment that would remove woody biomass as an eligible fuel under the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Standard for Massachusetts municipal light plants. Supporters explained that while biomass was removed from the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard in 2022 because it is not considered clean energy, it remained eligible under a separate section of state law governing municipal light plants. They said the amendment would close that inconsistency by ensuring public clean energy standards are aligned with current science and Massachusetts climate policy, preventing municipal light plants from counting electricity generated by burning woody biomass toward their greenhouse gas reduction requirements.
(A “Yes” vote is for the amendment removing woody biomass as an eligible fuel. A “No” vote is against the amendment.)
Sen. Jason Lewis – Yes
GAS LINE EXTENSIONS (S 3143)- Senate 19-20, barely rejected an amendment that supporters said would end ratepayer-backed subsidies for new gas line extension allowances. They noted that the current system allows utilities to distort the market and undermine competition by charging ratepayers for costly new gas connection infrastructure, which ratepayers pay for decades in their utility bills. They argued that ending these subsidies will help reduce costs for ratepayers while allowing lower-cost clean energy alternatives to compete on a level playing field, including electrifying the grid in new neighborhoods, and the use of heat pumps and solar panels in homes.
(A “Yes” vote is for the amendment. A “No” vote is against it.)
Sen. Jason Lewis – Yes
For more information and details on each bill, roll call attendance, and other relevant information, please visit the Wakefield Daily Item at www.localheadlinenews.com